Month: May 2020

Each month, MMOGames.com will provide you with a rundown of all our best MMO games news, insights, giveaways and articles.

MMO Games Articles

“If you like the sound of adorably murderous cartoon animals then parachute right in!” It’s time to unleash your inner beast with this collection of animal-themed MMOs. From mooing cows into a state of zen-readiness or growing into a crazed tyrannosaurus, every animal lover should find an MMO that they enjoy here. Read me!

“Enjoy the peace while it lasts, before the truce is over and it’s time to duck for cover once again.” In a world of chaos and violence, sometimes all we want is a bit of peace and love…and also some crafting, smelting, and trading. For those of you who are done with the combat for a while, we’ve brought you a collection of combat-free MMO games. Read me!

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve got your nan’s hand-me-down battered old tablet or a laptop thicker than an encyclopaedia.” We know that not everyone can afford the latest high-end gaming rig. But fear not! We’ve created a rundown of the best MMOs that you can play on an older PC. Read me!

New MMO Game Releases

The sci-fi MMO titan Eve Online is launching a mobile spin-off Eve Echoes, featuring much of what fans have learned to love about the MMO classic. And that’s not to mention the array of new features including races that until now have been only lore. Read me!

An exciting new player lands in the MOBA scene. Crucible, the MOBA-with-a-twist from Amazon Games, has now been released. You can find out more about the game in this article, but in the meantime we’ll leave you with a piece of advice – “Trust no one!” Read me!

It’s time to get Jurassic! StoneAge World is a new MMO allowing players to collect and battle all manner of prehistoric creatures. It looks colourful and fun and may be what you need to cure your lockdown blues. Read me!

MMO Game Updates, DLCs and Patches

Marvel fans rejoice! The ever-expanding mobile game Marvel: Contest of Champions released not only a brand new House but new characters too. The first update included a dark twist on fan-favourite Storm while the second, celebrating the new movie, released Black Widow and Red Guardian. Read me! And read me too!

Guild Wars 2 is the game that keeps on giving. And for those following the Icebrood Saga, the third chapter, No Quarter, is no disappointment. Will you survive the chilling Charr War? Read me!

Guild Wars isn’t the only MMORPG classic to release new content this month. Neverwinter’s expansive storyline has a new and exciting chapter Rage of Bel. Ominous demonic news is carried on the winds, who amongst us will rise to the call? Read me!

Eve Online has entered the latest chapter in their year long “Invasion” storyline. As always in Eve Online, the fate of the galaxy is in the hands of the players. And at the time of writing, all was left to be decided. Read me!

MU Origins 2 has a rather romantic new update, offering all sorts of bonuses and dungeons for their “married couples”. Yes, you read that right. Read me!

If you’re more Radiohead than Romeo, Black Desert Online has your back. They’ve really turned up the volume with their new composer feature which allows for a whole new type of MMO creativity. Read me!

Other MMO Games News

Congratulations to Albion Online for raising €42,644.94 for charity during April. They also released a patch with some fab new content including the Staff of Hermes, Outlands Banks, and some quality-of-life improvements. Read me!

MMOGames.com is committed to bringing you all the freshest, funniest, and most insightful MMO news and content. If you enjoyed this recap, why not share it with your community? Make sure that you never miss our updates and exclusive giveaways by following and favoriting us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

The indomitableworlds of Final Fantasy are today colliding as Square Enix’s two MMORPG offerings collaborate on some cross-title content. The Maiden’s Rhapsody: Memories of an Unseen Realm event tasks Final Fantasy XIV players with aiding Remumu – a reporter for the Harbour Herald hot on the heels of her latest story who needs the help of an adventurer to ensure her safety. For completing the quest, players will receive a familiar armour set, namely that of Final Fantasy XI heroine Iroha, consisting of:

Amatsu Hachigane

Amatsu Togi

Amatsu Tekko

Amatsu Haidate

Amatsu Sune-ate

To obtain it, players must travel to the Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks where Remumu can be found to kickstart the Journey To Remember quest – however players who have previously completed the quest will be unable to do so again.

Superfans rejoice as the FF news doesn’t stop there; fan festivals (in the real world) will be popping up in North America, Japan and Europe in 2020 and 2021 so get working on that cosplay. Here’s what’s in store:

Finally – the developers have invited fans to watch all seven episodes of The Creation of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers series which details the development of the game. It includes several key developers sharing behind-the-scenes insights on how the illustrious MMORPG is created. Check it out here.

Shadowbringers is the critically-acclaimed third expansion of Final Fantasy XIV introducing new environments, jobs, and races. And it’s available to enjoy right now. New players of the titanic title can download a free trial to access content up to level 35 with no restriction on playtime – so what are you waiting for? Check out our coverage of Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV if you’d like to clue yourself up on what awaits you.

MMOGames.com is committed to bringing you all the freshest, funniest, and most insightful MMO news. If you enjoyed this content, why not share it with your community? And make sure that you never miss our updates and exclusive giveaways by following and favoriting us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Developers NewGen Studios have just announced the release date for their third-person MOBA-inspired Clash: Mutants Vs. Pirates. And frankly, just the title alone is enough to get our blood pumping. As the title implies, the free-to-play MMO pits magic-wielding mutants against gun-toting pirates, merging sci-fi and fantasy in a glorious explosion of MMO fanservice. The aesthetic kind of reminds us of the Mutant Year Zero characters.

Mutants Vs. Pirates offers the choice between 8 heroes – featuring your typical tanks, damage dealers and healers – and two game modes: deathmatch or the strategic Kinvader mode. Deathmatch is a race to 40 kills between two teams, which can comprise you and your friends or you and some soon-to-be friends. Kinvader encourages a more strategic approach, choosing when to attack and defend whilst timing the capture of control points in order to relocate the opposition’s Kinvader.

If the promise of a good old-fashioned MOBA-style rumble featuring magic mutants and gunslinging pirates has tickled your fancy, then you may want to jump on one of three pre-order bundles. These packs will include a founder’s badge, load screens, exclusive avatars, emotes, titles and sprays (plus some orbs, the game’s currency).

Here are the need-to-know details from this exciting new title:

8 champions with unique abilities

Mighty special attacks to turn the tides of battle

Summonable minions to fight for your team and implement your strategies

The year-long Invasion expansion for spacefaring MMORPG EVE Online has culminated in its third and final chapter. After having already coveredEVE Online’s upcoming journey into the world of mobile gaming, we’re especially excited to see the progression of the flagship title with this latest storyline update.

The story, centred around the invading ‘Triglavian Collective’, will force players into a pivotal decision: to side with the Triglavians or defend the Empires of New Eden. As expected from an MMO moulded by its players, your decision will not only influence the plot’s direction but will also have a lasting impact on the entire game – ensuring that life in the cluster will never be the same again.

Cosmic battles are inevitable as open conflict rages on between EDENCOM forces and Triglavians across high and low security space, forcing you to defend yourself against roaming fleets and fellow players depending on which force you side with. New structures and defences will come into play as the Empires bolster their resistance and the Triglavians double down on the attack.

“At the core of EVE Online is a universe where actions have consequences, and this year the consequences of the Invasion storyline will have deep and lasting effects on players. Players will have to make their choice carefully – will they side with the new invaders, or will they resist?” said Bergur Finnbogason, EVE Online’s Creative Director. “Chapter 3 delivers a universe-changing event with a series of activities and player-driven decisions that will span the summer and change the landscape of EVE forever!”

With this season finale also comes additional improvements to the gameplay mechanics of player-built structures in the Forsaken Fortress update. This update introduces the new ‘Abandoned’ structure state alongside ‘Full Power’ and ‘Low Power’ states.

Make sure to follow EVE’s social media channels for all communications on updates, check out our own page on EVE Online and download the game for free if, for some reason, you haven’t already.

Netmarble Corp, creators of Star Wars Force Arena and Magic: Manastrike, are releasing another mobile title entitled StoneAge World. It is sure to tempt fans of Pokemon, Neopets and other animal-based MMOs which we’ve covered here.

Stoneage World is a prehistoric pet-collecting MMORPG in which players take on the role of a ‘Trainer’ tasked with protecting the land of ‘Tectonika’ from an encroaching machine civilization. Trainers will assemble a team of primeval pets with which to fend off the threat. They have a bestiary of 250 creatures to choose from, taking the form of anything from pigs and wolves to dinosaurs and wooly mammoths. A familiar turn-based mechanic comprises the combat system with players training their team before tackling their enemies.

Should the idea of fighting dinosaurs appeal to you (and why on earth wouldn’t it?) then we have good news – a reward awaits those who pre-register between now and its anticipated summer launch:

1,000,000 Stones (StoneAge World’s main currency) for those who pre-register via the official website.

50,000 Shells (StoneAge World’s premium currency) additionally gifted for those who pre-register at the App Store and Google Play.

On the StonageAge website, prospective players can also look forward to a couple of celebratory events, including:

Pet Gift Event – Players will be sent one hatched pet at launch. By collecting tickets when logging into the official website or by sharing event news on Facebook, players can hatch new pets from eggs by using 5 tickets at once. Completing all tasks will lead to players receiving 13 tickets.

Sprawling sandbox MMORPGBlack Desert Online, often lauded for its rich character customisation, has released a new “Compose and Play” feature in which players can adopt the role of bonafide virtuoso. In a mechanic much unlike most other titles of its genre, Korean developers Pearl Abyss have incorporated a robust music editor within the game allowing creative players to devise their own intricate musical compositions.

The games boasts an impressive roster of 19 character classes, including bread-and-butter Warriors & Wizards as well as the more atypical Valkyries & Mystics. Black Desert Online allows players of any class to channel their inner Hans Zimmer and compose. However, only Shai – the music-playing support class akin to your typical Bard – can perform them.

Compose and Play compositions can vary in beats-per-minute, time signatures, and number of instruments, with room for improvement after unlocking Shai’s special talent at level 56. These player-designed ditties can also be shared and played as part of an ensemble with multiple Shai characters, unveiling a whole new level of gameplay in this already extensive MMO.

If that wasn’t enough, Black Desert Online is also undergoing a login event as of this moment until 3rd June. By logging in daily, players can yield up to $100 in premium items including a wizard mini pet, a special service maid and a convenient buff called The Book of Old Moon.

If this intriguing new mechanic or login event piques your interest, MMO-playing maestros can check out the game via the Black Desert Onlinewebsite or via our game page. New players can also enjoy a revamped package with items more befitting of the current the game after 4 years of evolution.

MU Origin 2, the mobile spinoff of MU Online, has received an extensive update rife with brand new content including an exciting new class. The hugely popular mobile MMORPG boasts impressive graphics for its platform, playing out in real-time alongside thousands of fellow players across the world.

MU Origin 2’s “3.1 Update” includes the addition of the title’s fifth class – the Magic Gladiator. Looking to us like a rendition of a ‘battlemage’, the Magic Gladiator is a master of both sword and spell. This versatile warrior has been afforded dual-wielding capabilities which when married with arcane abilities establishes this warrior as a hefty damage-dealer. To bag the Magic Gladiator class, players must first reach level 120, unlocking the Magic Gladiator starting at the same level.

Furthermore, one of the game’s most unique mechanics, married couples, has received its own update. The Couple Dungeon is a new feature which brings a whole new meaning to ‘power couple’ in which married characters can conquer dungeons and bosses together in order to obtain particular rewards.

Furthermore, those who have tied the knot can enjoy the arrival of three Couple Skills – namely Beautiful Encounter, Heavy Longing and Warm Love. These new skills are available to married couples who have reached level 200, adding an extra motivation to find that special someone and pop the question. Now who said that romance is dead?

The third part of this update marks the beginning of Abyss Season 11. The opening of the Abyss World brings the Abyss Castle Siege which aims to seek out the best guild on the server. Only the top 3 guilds will be permitted to participate, with the victorious guild obtaining special buffs and the chance to host the Abyss Feast.

With additional Archangel Set Effects, expanded floors of Tower of Allegiance, new locations, costumes, mounts, items, guardian pets, and more – this is a particularly robust update which is begging to be explored so dive into the action over at the MU Origin 2 website!

A little while ago we covered the upcoming Amazon Games’ team-based shooter Crucible, and we’re now excited to announce that the game has officially launched. Within the game players work with teammates to hunt their opponents and take down hostile creatures on a lush rogue planet in pursuit of Essence, a valuable resource that amplifies hunters’ powers.

This MOBA-tinted title allows you to choose between 10 distinct hunters including Earl, an inter-stellar trucker, Summer, a dual-flame-thrower-wielding former welder, and Bugg, a robot botanist.

Having given this game a go we can attest to its quality but don’t just take our word for it – here’s a few reviews to convince you to pick this game up, if you haven’t already:

“I knew Crucible was something special the very first time I played it, and it somehow keeps getting even better,” said Twitch creator Sasslyn. “The hunters are unique, but welcomingly familiar. Whether you want to stick to one or be a jack-of-all-trades, there is a hunter that will fit your preferred style of play. Throughout Crucible’s development, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing first-hand how much the team cares about their players, and the way they take feedback and use it to make Crucible into an even more innovative and unique game.”

“One thing that separates Crucible is the diversity in its characters,” said Twitch creator Bartonologist. “There’s something there for everyone. Each character approaches the game differently and matches up against the other hunters in a unique way. Brings a whole new level of strategy and competition to this world.”

“The three game modes in Crucible represent three completely different kinds of teamwork required to come out on top,” said Twitch creator Stevo. “There’s unlimited ways you can strategize and compose your team to win, but of course, you never know what your opposition will do either!”

Get involved before 2nd June and you’ll bag yourself an early adopter gift of 1,000 Credits deposited into your in-game account. Credits can be redeemed for cosmetic in-game items like skins and emotes, as well as a Pre-Season Battle Pass, available for 950 Credits. The Pre-Season Battle Pass offers players a series of challenges and rewards, including hunter and account customization options.

The Sci-fI MMORPG titan EVE Online is taking a voyage into the mobile gaming universe with the announcement of its MMO mobile gaming venture – EVE Echoes.

Just like its illustrious forerunner, the next gen mobile spinoff will feature a near-endless universe of 80,000+ solar systems complete with the exploration, PvP and PvE battles, mining, trading, industry and sophisticated player economy that has elevated EVE Online to become a paradigm of the MMO genre.

EVE Echoes is the result of a CCP Games & NetEase Games collaboration three years in the making. Through livestreams and Q&As, community input has been fed into the development every step of the way to ensure that this mobile rendition of the fan favourite will be up to scratch – and the results look promising.

Some of the upcoming features include:

New Faction: The Yan-Jung

Straight from the EVE Online lore – the Yan-Jung have emerged as a playable faction within the mobile spinoff. Inspired by ancient oriental architecture, Yan-Jung ships are made with bronze-like metal, using smooth surfaces and aesthetically-pleasing symmetrical designs.

Corporations

A defining feature of the original game, Corporations make their return in EVE Echoes, allowing players to unite in exploring the cosmos.

Capsuleer Outpost

If you’re happier when flying solo, then the Capsuleer Outpost is a private structure designed for lone adventurers to occupy and provides a suitable foothold to explore the new frontier independently.

Ship Skins

As the name suggests EVE Echoes will be incorporating the ability to change the appearance of your ship at any time via tradeable licenses.

Tutorials

Luckily for EVE Online greenhorns, the development team has prioritised gameplay optimisation and, as a direct result of player feedback during Beta testing, have built in compelling tutorials, making this title accessible to all skill levels.

Excited? You should be! The devotion to perfecting this title through fan feedback is a promising sign for this MMO behemoth’s first foray into mobile gaming. EVE Echoes is scheduled for release in August 2020. Check out their website to stay in the loop and register to be notified of release by searching for EVE Echoes in the App Store or Google Play.

It’s 2020. The shops are full of 4K and 8K ultra-high definition TVs, and Sony even sells a 16k model now. The latest smartphones have more cores than ever, and laptops without SSD hard drives are so last decade. New video games make use of the latest technologies to provide often almost photorealistic graphics on huge maps that load in seconds.

That’s all well and good if you can afford the new technology, but what if you can’t? Don’t fret – we’re here for you. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got your nan’s hand-me-down battered old tablet, a laptop thicker than an encyclopaedia, or if you use your family computer (the one with that fan that sounds like a hairdryer). We’ve curated this list of MMO games for low-end PCs that still stand half a chance of running on that potato you call a computer.

Some of these games might be a little older and they might not have the shiniest graphics, but they are all active, and many of them are still receiving updates, patches and new content.

We can’t guarantee that these will all run perfectly well on max settings at 60fps, but if you dial down the graphic settings and try a few out, then we are confident you will find a game that takes your fancy and works with your modest set-up.

Without further ado…

RuneScape (and Old School RuneScape)

An obvious first entry to the list: RuneScape. RuneScape is the world’s most popular free to play MMO with over 250 million players registered. This absolutely massive MMORPG will be familiar to anyone growing up in the early 2000s. I have fond memories of setting my alarm at 6am just so I could get up and smelt ore before school, on what is now known as Old School RuneScape.

Here is RuneScape in a nutshell for those of you who grew up later (or for those who spent the early 2000s living under a rock). It is a fantasy-based MMORPG set in the land of quests and treasure: Gieliner. There are 27 fun skills, and the more you learn the further you will get in the exciting adventure. The world is huge, with cities, towns, shops and dungeons.

For those of you interested in taking a nostalgia trip into the Old School RuneScape servers, it might not be exactly the same as you remembered it. Game developer Jagex have harnessed the power of community: any new content updates (and there have been plenty in the last ten years) are decided by community poll.

EverQuest

Another absolute behemoth of an MMORPG. With this being a list of older games, generally only the biggest and best tend to survive! EverQuest is a free-to-play fantasy MMORPG released around the turn of the century. It is a vast and complex game, and totally enjoyable to play solo or as a group. The graphics are reminiscent of a PS2 or Xbox game – not necessarily something you could describe as elegant beauty, but it gets the job done all the same.

Players can live out their fantasy lives in the realm of Norrath, whether that might be exploring the massive world, battling monsters, finding loot in dungeons, and making friends (or foes) in battle. Just like the previous entry on the list, if you’re planning on diving into EverQuest to reminisce those times you used to play, you might notice a few differences – you can even own your own house now. The game is frequently updated, and at the date of writing has a grand total of 26 expansions.

Guild Wars 1 & 2

Guild Wars saw immediate critical acclaim on its release in 2005, and won countless ‘Best Game’ and ‘Best RPG’ awards.

The game has an instanced approach to gameplay. For those not familiar, instancing in MMO games refers to different zones that are loaded separately as a new copy of the original. It is often used to generate dungeons or non-shared spaces within MMOs. There are arguments in favour of using instancing to improve gameplay, but some also argue that there can be a negative impact by making the game feel unrealistic or not genuine. Regardless, there is one thing that instancing does well: helping the game to have lower computer specification requirements.

The graphics in Guild Wars can be described as basic, but still manage to capture a certain beauty. And Guild Wars 2? Slightly less basic and slightly more beautiful! The second version of the game is also much more active, with most players having moved across.

The original Guild Wars is now in “Maintenance Mode”, meaning there won’t be any more updates. Given the reduced player numbers, you may find it few and far between even bumping into anyone! Having said that, there are still friendly guilds, and perhaps your technical hardware will limit your options to the more graphically basic Guild Wars 1.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Having graced our presence in 2011, Star Wars: The Old Republic is still very much going strong. This free-to-play sci-fi MMORPG is set in the Star Wars universe, in space. The MMO does feature PVP action, but the game is primarily focused on the (Han) solo experience (puns aside, the game does not actually feature Han Solo).

There are hundreds of hours of fantastic free-to-play story content, so you won’t run out of things to do any time soon. The game is a great experience for new and experienced gamers alike, although any super active players should note that after the hundreds of hours of existing content, updates are now few and far between.

At the time of release, the game was estimated to be one of the most expensive MMOs ever made. That large development spend certainly did something right though – within three days of game launch SW:TOR had over a million subscribers.

You can choose to play as one of eight different classes, each class with its own three act storyline. In addition to class, a player chooses allegiance to either the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire. Regardless of whether you choose the typically good Republic or the evil Empire, you can still select your own morality anywhere on the light/dark spectrum.

Each player gets their very own starship, and each class gets five companions during the storyline to assist with tasks like resource gathering or crafting. The game now has seven expansions, with the latest being released after a three year gap in 2019.

Whether you’re a Star Wars fan, or you just like the idea of piloting your very own starship through space, we highly recommend giving it a try. And if need any more of an incentive, the games have released some of the best game trailers ever made.

Mabinogi

A Korean… and Welsh game? Sure – why not? To be more precise, this is a Korean MMORPG developed by devCAT studio, with game locations loosely based on Welsh mythology. In fact, the name Mabinogi comes from the Mabinogion – a real-world Welsh anthology of legend written around 700 years ago.

This MMO game features a unique graphical style, using edge detection outlining and hand-painted textures to create something of real – but slightly bizarre – beauty. Released initially just in Korea in 2004, the popularity of the game led to its gradual roll-out across the world. This game also makes use of instancing to create different zones of play, reducing hardware requirements, and making Mabinogi a perfect contender for this list.

Playable races include human, elf and giant, and each will start the game in different places on Mabinogi’s three different continents. The game is very much skill-based (fishing, magic, tailoring, first aid, music, cooking etc), and this lends itself to the combat system as well.

The game isn’t all about combat though. Players can create and customise their own homesteads, giving them a space to relax or farm and fish. There is a big social aspect to the game, whether that be inviting your friends to hang out at your homestead, composing and sharing music, or just kicking back and chatting around the campfire.

The game is still plenty active, with a feeling among players that nothing similar has come along since. If you fancy a vibrant, colourful and open-ended game with a friendly active community, give Mabinogi a try.

And so…

These should all run and play on low-end computers. We don’t promise that they will run perfectly at all times with a cluster of 200 people having a magic spell battle at 60fps, but then that depends on where exactly your PC is on a scale of potato to toaster. Each game featured has slightly different hardware requirements, so if you find that one doesn’t work then just try another. Who even needs a graphics card anyway?